1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to cat litter boxes and, more particularly, to an odor-removing trap system for capturing, filtering and venting of noxious gases related to the use of litter boxes by domestic housecats.
The use of litter boxes by cats produces unpleasant odors which are well known to an estimated eighty-six million cat owners in the United States alone. A cat's body temperature and metabolism is higher than a human's metabolism, as is the rate of heat energy released by a cat due to its smaller physical size. The cat's waste products produce noxious gases, bacteria and allergens, which instantaneously permeate the ambient air in the room where the litter box resides. Traveling with a cat and a litter box in an automobile exacerbates the odor problem.
The conventional way to counteract such litter box odor is to use a cat litter product which is liquid absorbent and/or is chemically treated to eliminate odors. However, such absorbent and/or chemically treated litter materials are relatively ineffective at eliminating the odor problem. The cat owner may resort to using a deodorant spray or even opening a door or window, which is inconvenient and energy inefficient during inclement weather.
Alternatively, cat owners may locate the litter box in a bathroom or other room that has an exhaust fan installed in the ceiling, which typically requires about forty to one-hundred-eighty watts of electrical power to operate. In order to remove unpleasant odors, such a ceiling fan must operate for several minutes or longer to remove the entire volume of air within the room and exhaust it to the exterior of the home or other structure.
Such ceiling exhaust fans use substantial electrical power and, thus, are expensive to operate. Further, when such an exhaust fan is operating there is no specific airflow generated to carry away noxious odors from the area surrounding the litter box. Thus, such a ceiling exhaust fan must remove a substantial volume of air to the exterior of the home or other structure that has either been heated or, alternatively, which has been cooled depending on the locale and weather conditions. Accordingly, the operation of such conventional exhaust fans is clearly energy inefficient and also generates an unpleasant noise for others in the vicinity.
Thus, the present invention has been developed to resolve these problems and other shortcomings of the prior art.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
Ventilated cat litter boxes are known in the prior art and while the structural arrangements of such systems may, at first appearance, have similarities to the present invention, they differ in material respects.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,559 to Griffith filed Oct. 27, 1976, entitled Ventilated Litter Box, discloses a litter box for pet animals which is provided with a ventilating enclosure that is only partially enclosed. When connected to a means for exhausting air therefrom, the box and the litter in it are ventilated by flow of air from the box into the enclosure by an exhaust fan from which it is exhausted elsewhere. The enclosed portion of the box is formed by the floor and sidewalls of the box, a partial cover and a foraminous barrier between the cover and the floor. The cat litter box containing waste products is not enclosed, the waste products are open to the ambient air and the noxious gases associated with such waste products are not trapped and filtered in the manner of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,201 (hereinafter '201 patent) to Fields filed Sep. 16, 1999, entitled Ventilated Cat Litter Box, discloses a ventilated cat litter box for ventilating cat litter and simultaneously keeping the surrounding area litter free. The ventilated cat litter box includes a box which is generally rectangular in shape. A screen covers the bottom portion of the box whereon the litter box resides. An electric fan is mounted on the inside of the box and an actuating device is operationally connected to the fan. A power source is operatively coupled to the actuating device and a timer.
However, the ventilated cat litter box of the '201 patent fails to disclose the novel features of the present invention including, but not limited to, the air filtration assemblies including an activated charcoal filter element; a miniature, brushless fan motor that is operable with either an AC power source or, alternatively, with a battery pack; and/or the other structural embodiments such as the tent-like enclosures of the present trap system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,325 (hereinafter '325 patent) to Miksitz filed Dec. 13, 1990, entitled, Ventilated Litter Box, discloses a ventilated litter box including a housing and a tray for containing a bed of litter material. The tray is provided with a porous bottom spaced from the bottom of the housing to define an air space. An exhaust fan is connected to a port through the wall of the housing to draw air downwardly through the litter bed to exhaust the litter odors.
The ventilated litter box of the '325 patent also fails to disclose the novel features of the present invention including, but not limited to, the air filtration assemblies including an activated charcoal filter element; a miniature, brushless fan motor which is operable with either an AC power source or, alternatively, with a suitable battery pack; and/or the other novel structural embodiments such as the tent-like enclosures of the present system.
Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/694,917 to Ciotic, the same inventor named herein, filed Jan. 19, 2013, entitled Odor-Removing Hinge System for Toilets and Portable Commodes discloses various air filtration assemblies which are similar to those disclosed herein and may be useful in understanding the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose the novel features of present invention for an Odor-Removing Trap System for Cat Litter Boxes.